Oddments of the Gamble

‘Oddments of the Gamble’ is a continuation of the unique, analogue concoctions that formed Nonkeen’s first album, very much like a ‘part two’ in many ways. Although it inevitably draws on a similar formula to the previous LP – pensive loops and melodies, sweeping arpeggios, post-rock jams, and rolling jazz breaks – the second installment by childhood friends Frederic Gmeiner, Nils Frahm and Sepp Singwald still stands alone as another statement from the trio despite originating from the same recording session. Choosing only their favourite tracks for the debut album turned out to be a challenging endeavor, there were still too many for a single album. In the end, the three of them agreed to flip a coin: let chance decide and the band would follow, with the winning album known as ‘The Gamble’. But the warm reception that followed its release flattered Gmeiner, Frahm and Singwald, encouraging them to make available the collection that had first lost the toss: ‘The Oddments of the Gamble’. After all, everything – just like everyone – deserves a second chance. Nonkeen’s ‘Oddments of the Gamble’ was first released in July 2016 by R&S Records, LEITER is now re-issuing the band’s complete catalogue.

You'd think we’d be getting bored of Nils Frahm by now, but that's far from the case.

Like a rare astronomical event, nonkeen have aligned for their second full-length release of 2016. The 13 new songs on Oddments of the Gambl...

As band-formation stories go, nonkeen have one of the most quaint. While many bands formed in their school days, few can say they have been an item since elementary school.

Childhood friends united by a love of tape machines and the flexible nature of sound, nonkeen took more than eight years to assemble an album’s